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By Iheanyi Chukwudi
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State on Tuesday disclosed his administration's readiness to partner with the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) to revamp the Police College, Oji River, and the Police Detective College in Enugu city.
Mbah said the reason for the decision was to restore the two institutions to centres of excellence and boost the war against crime and insecurity.
The Governor spoke when he received the management of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund led by the Executive Secretary, Mohammed Sheidu, and senior hierarchy of the Nigeria Police led by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Training, DIG Frank Mba, who paid him a working visit at the Government House, Enugu.
Addressing his visitors Mbah said, “We see security as our number one priority in the state. The reason is because we have a great ambition as to how our economy can grow and we do not see that happening without the private sector; and naturally, the private sector is not designed to absorb security risk. They can take other finance and commercial risks, but not security.
So, we are pleased that we are having this engagement with you because there are some alignments in objectives here where you are proposing to build the capacity and welfare of the police personnel.
We also believe that crime-fighting has gone beyond just standing on the road and waiting for criminals to be hunted. I think there is quite a lot that technology allows us to accomplish in the area of crime prevention and crime fighting.
Therefore, we have invested hugely in the provision of some of the most modern and state-of-the-art security infrastructure here. We invested in the security surveillance camera system. The CCTV is AI-embedded and helps us to track criminals through our Distress Response Squad, DRS.
We have also been able to train the officers working directly under the DRS. But we think we still have a lot more to do and even hearing you talk about the Police Detective College, it is for us to come back now to focus and see how we can revive that training institute.
So, the training and the two reasons for which you are here fit perfectly into what we also hope to accomplish. We are indeed ready and more than happy to partner with you," Governor Mbah stated.
Earlier, the NPTF Executive Secretary, Sheidu, said the team was in Enugu State as part of an ongoing nationwide assessment of Police training institutions, noting that the Police College, Oji River and the Police Detective College Enugu, had played critical roles in producing some of the finest officers in the Nigeria Police and needed to be restored to their old glories.
He said, “These institutions, built on a legacy of excellence, deserve to be upgraded to meet global standards, ensuring that our Police officers receive the best training and resources to confront today’s complex security challenges.
Our visit today is not only to honour this legacy, but also to propose a collaboration with your government to bring about the necessary upgrades that will reposition these institutions as world-class centers of excellence.
With your support, we can modernise the infrastructure, enhance the curriculum, and equip these training schools with the technology and tools needed to produce highly skilled officers, who can protect our communities more effectively."
Seidu added that the Fund was equally partnering with the Family Homes Fund and the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), to provide homes for the Police personnel in Enugu State and their families and also help them to engage in agriculture.
He further said, “Moreover, we are eager to develop farm clusters that will give the wives and families of our Police officers a source of livelihood. These farms will not only sustain their households, but also contribute to food security for both Enugu State and the country as a whole.
By engaging in agricultural activities, the families of our Police personnel will help boost local food production, enhancing the state’s economy and creating a more resilient, self-sufficient community."
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